Poster of Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke

Crime, Drama

Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Release Date: November 1, 1967

Where to Watch

Cool Hand Luke: think One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest but in a chain gang. A classic heterosexual, white male, anti-establishment figure film with Christ imagery like Easy Rider, Bonnie & Clyde, etc., which means I can appreciate the film for being emblematic for its era. I always think of this genre as the epitome of white privilege-needing to rebel without a point or accomplishing something to reach folk hero status or to finally be deemed as an outsider rebelling against repressive society as opposed to constructively having a goal. Other people who are viewed as others are born rebels or with a target regardless of whether they are fundamentally conservative in everything except appearance, sexuality, gender. A silly elevation of what is essentially an adult Tom Sawyer who probably needed therapy after the war. (Bear in mind, I’m not condoning all the numerous abuses inflicted upon the men or the idea of reminding the inmates not to continue to perpetuate the abuse, but shake the world, no.)

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